Wide Stance for wide skis? Why?

Sign up early for this great skiing experience. Next year's 2012, Hintertux Camp

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Snow at Mt Hood

This has been and incredible snow year in the west of the US. And it hasn't slowed down 

yet. We had 9 inches yesterday, 6 inches today, this is all in the mountains of course, in Denver it's dry. The forecast is for snow in the mountains for the rest of the week.

Ready to go home, last day in Hintertux, all packed, on the way to the airport.

2011 April, Hintertux Camp Group

Dutch PMTS instructor steps up to coach when I go down.

Thanks Jasper for stepping up and doing a great job coaching during the Hintertux camp

Innsbruck Hospital View

Freak accident ends ski season early for me.

Last Tuesday, skiing in very thick fog, I was leading the group and skiing blind, very slowly and in total control. I hit an ice wall, made from a snow cat track, and went forward head first over it, but my ski stopped dead. I tore my achilles tendon, clean in half, in the ski boot. Same place in Austria where I did the other one, thirty years ago playing tennis, bad luck with Achilles here, but this time skiing. My first ski accident with injuries in my whole life. So, I'm out of commission for at least 6 to 8 weeks. What a silly way to get injured.

Leaving home for Austria confuses "Flash".

Skiing on the Glaciers is still in full swing, even if it looks like summer in the valleys.

Alyeska Resort near Anchorage, Alaska.

If you can ski "Alyeska", you can ski anything.

Found the ski that will do everything really, really well!

The ski is, the "Movement",  "Jam" model.

Click on photo to enlarge.

This is a ski that will carve on hard snow, float in the powder, make slalom turns on steep powder runs and still push through crud and heavy wet snow. 

Letting go on the steeps! Hot off piste skiing tips!

If you can change edges, before changing ski direction, you will always have consistent turns no matter how difficult the terrain or the snow.

Click on the photos to enlarge!

Skiing the Ridge!

The key to off piste, steep skiing is keeping your upper body rotation under control with counter acting movements.

Air turns? Those boots must be light!

Front side Yellowstone Club

We ski the top ridge way back there, at the top of the photo. All those chutes that line up from one end to the other, are skied.

It just keeps getting deeper, how do the deer survive the winter?

Click on photo to enlarge.

Perfect snow, what a great day.

Dodge Carbon Ski Boots "Not Just for racing!"

Powder

Skiing off the top of the Ridge, at Yellowstone Club!

Skiing: Off piste, powder and bumps with Dodge Carbon Ski Boots.

Click on Photo to enlarge

Skiing at the "Yellowstone Club", Montana is special!

Click on photo to Enlarge.

Visiting, skiing and drinking with friends at Yellowstone Club

Hintertux Ski Camp is coming up.

When we hold a ski camp, we don't fool around, this is Hinterux.

We hold a camp here every spring, this year it's in April. Wow! what a place. God's country!

Strong inside hand and arm help to maintain good lateral balance.

Continued pushing forward of the inside hand, arm, shoulder, and hip makes for very strong angles and edge hold. The opposite is rotation, which destroys your turn.

Bump skiing, by Harald Harb using flexing and tipping!

Who said you can't carve in the bumps? By using the techniques I demonstrate here; you to can learn to ski bumps with grace and ease. The whole idea of skiing bumps is to not take any hits. The hollow between bumps is where you stretch your legs and prepare your pole tap.


The proper pole tap in bump skiing is critical, flexing the legs as you come to the top or over a bump prepares you for the new arc.


Lift, tip and pull the inside ski back to set up your skis for further tipping. This sets up your turn early before you go down the steep side of the bump.


Everything I've done has set up the edge angles for holding the skis on the backside of the bumps, perfect control.


Now I'm carving the bottom of the arc and ready to absorb the next hollow. This technique will assure your bump skiing is controlled and that you stay in perfect balance.

Harald Harb's New, "Performance Free Skiing" DVD

The 2010 Super Blue Camp at Arapahoe Basin

Click on photo to enlarge
Comments about Harb Camps:
Onyxjl:
I was out at A-Basin with a friend on Thursday and Friday and was watching a lot of the Super Blue skiers in the clinic. Aside from spotting the HSS logo on the coaches, it was easy enough to pick out the clinic skiers from the high C in the turns (and of course the piles of head skis on the racks.) The other thing I found impressive about the camp is how little standing around there was. It seemed like the people in the clinic all got their fair share of time making turns.

Nipper:
Well every cloud has a siver lining. In my quest to improve I discovered Harald,s book, Essentials of Skiing. My discovery of PMTS 3 years ago has tranformed my skiing. After 30 years of skiing and with the last decade showing no progress I now feel that at the grand old age of 65 I have plenty of scope to improve. Thank you Harald and all of the contributors to this site who have helped me understand the subject of skiing much better.

Read more about responses to "Harb Ski Systems" and the "PMTS Teaching System", on this forum:
http://www.pmts.org/pmtsforum/index.php

Coaches; in this case great people, are what make a highly successful program

At the beginning of every Harb Ski Systems Camp, the coaches break the campers into different groups. With 40 people in this case, it took about 15 minutes. This is extraordinary given all the different styles and abilities. Thanks to a "Top Gun" staff we can get it done quickly and effectively.

Every morning during camp we present skiing topics that are taught on the snow. The highly motivated and experienced team of Harb Ski Systems coaches, listens intently, and is at the ready.

On our staff we have three doctors, one in the field of Biomechanics, one Physiotherapist, and one Veterinarian. Two other coaches are Masters of Science and Education, all highly successful in their own fields. Other credentials for our staff include, full accreditations and certifications in PMTS and other ski systems. Two of our coaches are Master Coaches in the USSA system and trainers in other Nationally recognized systems.

The amazing response, growth and success of "Harb Ski Systems Camps", is due to the coaching staff. Our coaches have a complete genuine interest in making every skier better. This is a relentless quest that is never abated. From morning to night the "Harb Ski Systems", team is always looking for the best way to scheme success, for our campers.

Just a few examples; Every skier in the camp is measured and observed for any possible gains in alignment and boot modifications. We have demo skis available that are not only easy to ski, but have adjustments for experimentation, like heel lifts and toe lifts built into the bindings. This set up is to determine if fore/aft balance can be improved.

And of course the ultra successful "Primary Movements Teaching System", is at the root of this whole program. our coaches are hand picked and trained, in every aspect of ski related performance, from equipment to movements. They also go though a complete training program that equals a Pedorthist course, for evaluating footbeds and alignment of the legs in ski boots.

A Counteracted hip and torso are a part of becoming an Expert Skier!

A clip from my new "Performance Free Skiing" DVDClip from my new Performance Skiing DVD.

Ted Ligety wins his third GS in a row! It all started at Beaver Creek.

It was amazing how on the Beaver Creek course almost every top racer gave up on "skivoting" because it's slow. Also, the perfect PMTS transitions were obvious. Flex and relax the long outside leg and then retract the leg, then tip and bend it to the little toe edge side, and continue. Continue flexing the inside leg to set up the stance side of the body, with counter balance and a stretched outside leg. Increase your counter acting to hold the edge, until the next release brings the whole process back, to start it again for the other side. Can't be more simple than that.

My years as an international Racer, Canadian Ski Team 1971

I'm on the left side, the 5th one from the bottom, next to the white sweater.



Click on photo to enlarge.

Marcel Hirscher wins Slalom!

Showing off the incredible talent he displayed as a junior he is beginning to hit his stride.

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Tale of Two Skiers: Extension and uncontrolled rotation hurts in bumps!

In this video you will see "Counteracting" described!

Notice the solutions to the big mistakes in skiing right here.

Biggest Skier Mistakes!

I always watch skiers on the slopes from the chair lifts. In Harb Ski Systems ski camps, 40% of new skiers are everyday regular skiers with old or traditional techniques. There are frequently seen movements, I observe from the chairlift, made by regular (non-PMTS skiers).

Examples:

1. Starting turns with the upper body. Effect: no tipping of the skis, mostly leaning, poor control.

2. Finishing turns with a rotation of the torso and upper body. Effect: Can't develop a rhyme, turns never connect, interrupted movements. Disaster in Powder.

3. Up movements or extension. Results: Late on edge, poor turn control, and poor edge hold.

These are not subtle differences between PMTS and traditional skiing. They are major problems; if you want to move forward with your skiing, this needs to change.

Next installment, Corrects for examples of the major errors described here.

Mistakes: Extension and pivoting
ex:3

Below in the last 3 posts, is a series of tips and examples of modern ski technique used by the best World Cup skiers.

And for the latest in ski technique discussion and other news follow the PMTS Ski Forum.

here: http://www.pmts.org/pmtsforum/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=8a2db4fc698d4cc5fb67e4f85a777e1c

Harald Harb, Ski Practice 9, Expert Short Turns and Carving, "flexing in...

It is never to late to bring your skiing up to modern standards. At Harb Ski Systems we use only the best and most current ski techniques. Flexing or retracting into and out of turns gives you a faster transition and makes you quicker from edge to edge, for bump skiing and powder turns on steeps.

Sign up for a Harb ski training camp on snow or order my books and videos from www.harbskisysems.com if you want to revolutionize your skiing.

A transition with retraction and flexing. The way of modern GS technique by the best and the brave..

Marcel Hirscher, Austrian Ski Team

Fully flexed and retracted in transition to the new edges.
On new edges, without an extension. If you watch the video of this run I posted earlier, you will see this is a consistent pattern of movement used by the best skiers not only in slalom but also in Giant Slalom.